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We hear about the “crisis” at the border all the time in the news. Every president in recent history has struggled politically with what to do with the surges of people trying to immigrate to the US, primarily over its southern border. And most Americans today have opinions about immigration policy but are less knowledgeable about the current state of immigration in the country and what policies contribute to the kind of immigration they would like to have.   Our guest on the podcast today, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, Alex Nowrasteh, spoke to Dr. Jennifer Thompson about what’s really going on with immigration in the United States. What do people say they want and how does that stack up against our current policy? And what he’s learned over the years from his conversations with people across the political spectrum about immigration.   Show Notes

Outside of a global pandemic, there’s a lot of general frustration with how our healthcare system works. It’s not surprising that the pressures of the pandemic put incredible stress on an already fraught system. So, what did we do in response to that pressure? Did we learn anything from that pressure that we can take into making our healthcare system function better moving forward?    Our guest on the podcast today, Courtney Joslin, a resident fellow at R Street, came on the show to talk about what we learned from COVID-19 about providing better healthcare in a crisis and beyond. Dr. Jennifer Thompson spoke to her about what different states and the federal government changed in response to COVID-19, vaccine passports, and where we go from here.    Show Notes

Through 2020 and entering into 2021, our society has faced some pretty spectacular challenges. Many of them brought on by COVID-19. Some of them brought on by challenges we’ve created for ourselves through decisions we made generations ago, the consequences of which are now coming to a head.   Younger Americans face challenges in employment, housing, and health that previous generations did not and all of us are faced with the problems of hyperpolarization and coming back from the wreckage of a global pandemic.   Our guest on the podcast today, policy fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and demographer Lyman Stone, is a student of the data. Dr. Jennifer Thompson spoke to Lyman about the trends he has observed in how our society faces challenges and the lessons we can learn about how to respond in the face of problems and come back as a flourishing, healthy society.   Show Notes

In our increasingly divided society, speaking your mind is costly. Saying what you think could cost you relationships, it could cause you to lose your reputation and the respect of your social circles, or your livelihood. It’s easy to see why many of us choose to keep our mouths shut, rather than risk spreading possibly controversial thoughts around. But what damage do we do to ourselves and to society when we make this a habit?  Our guest on the podcast, Dr. Rishi Joshi talks to Jennifer Thompson about the risks of speaking your mind and why he believes you have a duty to do it anyway. This duty, Rishi argues, is for the good of your community, but also, more importantly, for yourself.      Show Notes

Vaccines are being rolled out on a broader scale and there’s light at the end of the tunnel, but what happens when we come out of it? What have we learned about conversation from COVID-19 as we’ve all been separated physically? How will what we’ve experienced change how we go about conversation face to face, post pandemic? Dr. Jennifer Thompson sat down with Liz Joyner, Executive Director of the Village Square and Jeremy Garson, In House Counsel and Chief of Staff, the Bridge Alliance about these questions and more. They share their experience working in the civil discourse space.   Show Notes

What does unity require in a country full of diverse opinions and experiences? Are there values that unite Americans, no matter who they are and what they believe? What do we need to do to bridge even our most difficult divides? Dr. Jennifer Thompson talked with Samar Ali, Co-Chair, Vanderbilt Project on Unity & American Democracy and found of Millions of Conversations about what it means to be American in 2021 and how we pursue unity in an increasingly polarized society. She shares her experience in international conflict resolution and grass roots community conversations, and talks about the importance of respectful discourse.   Show Notes

Most people have complaints about the internet, and specifically social media. They fear that social media companies are censoring people with their views, or on the other hand, not censoring dangerous views enough. And both views have latched on to one law as the solution to their social media woes, Section 230. Dr. Jennifer Thompson talked with Shoshana Weissmann, senior manager of digital communications and policy fellow at R Street about what Section 230 is and if getting rid of it is helpful or hurtful to an internet where discourse can flourish. She shares her experience as a policy advocate and also how she uses the internet for her health and hobbies and what Section 230 means to everyday users of the internet.   Show Notes

Education is more than just an issue of policy. It’s a transformative experience that contributes to a flourishing life. That’s the view of our guest this week, Derrell Bradford, executive vice president of 50can. An advocate for education reform for decades, Derrell works with people of all political ideologies to help ensure that every child has access to a quality education, no matter their zip code. Dr. Jennifer Thompson talked with Derrell about the value of education for individuals, but also for society. He shares his take on the attack on the Capitol as a failure of education and what we can do to make a difference in education in our own communities.   Show Notes

Viewpoint diversity is the sort of idea that sounds good on paper, but in practice, few of us like to embrace. We don’t like to hear ideas we think are wrong and certainly rarely think about why those ‘wrong’ ideas are important to discuss. Our recent guest does research on the importance of viewpoint diversity, teaches a course on the topic, and also consults with businesses that want to create an environment that encourages diverse perspectives.   Dr. Jennifer Thompson sat down with Dr. Ilana Redstone, associate professor of sociology at the University of Illinois, to talk her about her work on the value of viewpoint diversity and the challenges of discussing a variety of views on sensitive topics, like race and issues related to identity. Ilana shares her experiences in the classroom, helping students navigate dialogue and gives us important examples of mistakes we might avoid in trying to have sensitive conversations ourselves.    Show Notes

Through the course of 2020, we talked to lots of experts, authors, and thoughtful people about issues from the value of political engagement, to the role of civil society in solving our deepest problems, and everything in between. We pulled together the best ideas we heard this year that are applicable into 2021 and beyond. Take a listen and if you find one particularly valuable, you might enjoy the rest of that episode too!    Show Notes

Not everything in 2020 has been a drag. We’ve had some awesome guests on the podcast, with lots of thought-provoking ideas. And many of our guests have had really valuable insights into how to have more better conversations with people who see the world differently. We pulled together the best tips we heard this year to help you have more enlightening, interesting, and civil conversations.

Intergenerational communication is not always an easy thing. Add in politics and an increasingly polarized country and it can become even more difficult. As college students come home for the holidays, it could be easy to prepare to clash with Gen Z and worry about having more conflict than connection.     Dr. Jennifer Thompson sat down with Dr. Lindsay Hoffman, associate professor of communication and political science at the University of Delaware, to talk her experience working with students to have respectful conversation about their political values. She shares a refreshing optimism about this generation of students, their openness and curiosity, and gives us some concrete tips for engaging in civil discourse with them.     Show Notes

In the world we live in, compromise and moderation can be dirty words. However, in business, compromise and moderation are necessary parts of the culture. Can business help us bring greater compromise and moderation to our increasingly polarized world? Dr. Jennifer Thompson sat down with Bob Feldman, founder of the Dialogue Project and vice chair of IFC Next, to talk about what his project has taught him about how companies can help to bring greater respectful discussions, not just to the workplace, but to the rest of our lives.     Show Notes

After over 700 episodes of the podcast EconTalk, it’s fair to say that Russ Roberts specializes in curiosity and conversation. We spoke to him about both in our recent live Zoom event and asked him how he prepares for those conversations to make them respectful and educational. We also chatted with Russ about the state of polarization in the country right now, how we got here, and what individuals can do to make a difference in our dialogue and how we relate to our political opposites.    Show Notes

It’s election season, and everyone seems to be extra motivated to get out, vote, and do their civic duty. And one reason may be that we feel overwhelmed by the state of our country and political polarization. We see people everywhere dehumanizing the “other side” and we ourselves are often guilty of the same. Is it possible that our relationship to politics is unhealthy? Dr. Chris Freiman thinks so and we sat down with him to understand why. Chris’s Book Why It’s OK to Ignore Politics suggests that we have a moral duty to ignore politics and put our energy into other ways to make society better. Is he right or is there something he’s missing? Listen and decide for yourself.   Show Notes

Many people see the need for more civil conversations about our political values, but in many contexts, that’s easier said than done. Especially in the year 2020, during a contentious presidential election and a global pandemic, respectful discourse is hard to find. Is it possible to have dialogue with people we disagree with? If so, how?  Dr. Jennifer Thompson sat down with Dr. Tania Israel, Professor in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and author of Beyond Your Bubble: How to Connect Across the Political Divide, Skills and Strategies for Conversations That Work (APA, 2020) to discuss how practically we can accomplish these conversations.    Show Notes

What defines a conservative? Are Republicans and conservatives the same thing?  Is it a commitment to principles like limited government, free markets, individual liberty, and traditional values? Or is it something else? Dr. Jennifer Thompson sat down with Stephanie Slade, the managing editor of Reason magazine to discuss recent shifts she’s seeing in what it means to be a conservative for a growing section of those who claim the label. They discuss several of her recent pieces on the topic and what this trend may mean for those who call themselves conservative.   Show Notes

It’s been a contentious year so far, to say the least. Our political differences have never seemed more stark and common ground is hard to find. How do we work towards that common ground with our political opposites? Is the country hopelessly divided, or is there reason to hope? Dr. Jennifer K. Thompson is joined by Jordan Balshek this week, co-author of the new book Union: A Democrat, a Republican and a Search for Common Ground, to discuss his road trip across the country to find common ground. Jordan and his co-author Chris are on opposite sides of the political spectrum and they traveled together through 44 states, meeting people from all walks of life, to discover the state of our union. Show Notes

Dr. Jennifer K. Thompson is joined by Marshall Kosloff, director of outreach and media for the Lincoln Network, to talk about how technology has changed news media and the role that it plays in a free and democratic society. How has the rise of the internet and social media changed the nature of the news we consume? How does the way the news is funded influence the amount of bias in journalism? Show Notes

Dr. Jennifer K. Thompson is joined by Mike McShane, Director of National Research at EdChoice, to talk about what it looks like for students to go back to school this fall, given the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic. What kind of decisions must be made by schools? How do we make sure that kids get the best shot at the kind of education they deserve?     Show Notes